Smallville alum Cassidy Freeman, as we first told you, has shot a recurring role for NBC’s recently debuted The Playboy Club — playing a socialite with a secret — and TVLine has an exclusive first look at how she matches up with the Dean Cain-like Eddie Cibrian. READ MORE & VIEW PHOTO

This Friday at 8/7c, The CW’s Smallville resumes its 10th and final season with a “universe swap” à la the December episode “Luthor.” So, while our Clark (played by Tom Welling) is in alt-Earth doing his best to set straight a distraught (and alive) Jonathan Kent, Clark Luthor once again is on the prowl over “here,” hoping to partner with his (adopted!) sister, Tess, in all sorts of ways.

Now halfway through its 10th and final season, The CW’s Smallville covered a lot of ground prior to the holiday break -– including but not limited to Clark (played by Tom Welling) getting glimpses of his super future self, the introduction of Darkseid and his malevolent minions, the “outing” of Oliver Queen, and a certain marriage proposal. Still, there is much to be done over this next salvo of episodes kicking off Friday at 8/7c, if the series is to end its run the way we all suspect it will.

TVLine invited Smallville executive producers Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson to preview the end of the beginning of mild-mannered Clark’s extraordinary journey. READ MORE